Lasik surgery is an eye vision correction method that has been growing in popularity. Lasik surgery can greatly improve eyesight, eliminating the use of eye glasses or contact lenses. It’s a relatively fast surgery needing little recovery time and is easily accomplished with outpatient surgery. It is the cost of the surgery which is most daunting, it is expensive and most health care insurance policies will not cover it because it is a voluntary or elective procedure.
Even if you have vision insurance, most plans will not cover the Lasik surgery but it is possible that your employer may have a policy in place to cover some of the surgery or offer a reduced rate. Sometimes a company may have extended vision insurance. This means that some of the cost will be paid for. So always check your insurance coverage and everything they have to offer before scheduling surgery.
The price you see advertised for the Lasik surgery can sometimes be a little bit misleading. You may see an advertisement for a certain price per eye, that sounds affordable but that is usually the bottom price for people who need only a small amount of corrective vision; it can go much higher depending on your vision. On average the Lasik procedure is around two thousand dollars. Always remember to choose your surgeon carefully, just because they are offering a bargain does not mean that they are the best choice. You will want an experienced doctor with the latest equipment and technology.
In many other countries around the world Lasik surgery is usually covered by insurance but for some reason the US is not one of them. As with any surgery there is also associated costs as you probably know from any procedure, so when shopping around for the best Lasik center make sure you are given the full price.
If you cannot get the Lasik procedure done with your insurance you may wish to consider starting a flexible spending account with your employer. That way a portion of your pay will go into the funding so that it will not be a large bill for you to pay at one time. Make sure that you inform the surgeon and the surgery center where you are getting your procedure done because it usually involves some kind of special paperwork. Also check with your accountant the Lasik procedure may be a tax deduction for you.
When considering Lasik surgery prepare yourself for the cost. If you are in the US chances are that you will be paying for the surgery yourself and will be solely responsible, so try to come up with ways to defray the cost. You may also want to discuss this with different Lasik centers in your area, some of them even offer some sort of payment plan that may be a good choice for you. Keep in mind that the cheapest route is not always the best route to take when you consider how valuable your eyesight is.
Peter Rankin is a staff writer at Vision Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Wellness Digest. |
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